butterflies | Krauss-ing The World

Limassol

Posted on January 23 by krauss-ingtheworld

I take the bus first thing from Paphos across Cyprus to Limassol, but I arrive in the pouring rain. I wait it out, drop my luggage at the hostel, and catch the bus out to the ancient greek city-state of Kourion. The Greek amphitheater has Roman renovations, and much of the Roman ruins here feature early Christian era villas. They have symbols, classic gladiator motifs and mythology displayed on mosaics.

The remaining Roman marble pillars stand tall against the Mediterranean Sea, its edge lined with steep cliffs. One pillar has a corkscrew pattern I adore. I have to backtrack through the park to exit, which is annoying, and it’s hot under the sun, but I finally make it up to some more ruins.

The remains of heating systems for roman baths

A Roman stadium, just the remains of a wall in an oblong oval shape, is on the path. There is a nature trail, so I leave the hot road in favor of the scrub forest filled with wild thyme and sage. I see a kestrel overhead and a black snake slithers across the path out of sight.

On the horizon, shining in the sunlight against the dark storm clouds, is the Temple of Apollo. This site has been in use since ancient times, then became an early Apollo shrine. The Greek portico got a Roman upgrade by Emperor Trajan, who added his own additions to the temple. Legend has it that whoever touches the sacred altar of Apollo gets cast into the sea. I didn’t take my chances and kept my distance—but got close enough to appreciate the details. Some more remains of Roman bath heating systems are on display.

I hurry back as the rain begins to pour, sprinting downhill to shelter from the storm. I wait for the bus to take me back to town as the sun returns.

The downtown area is charming in the “old center”. It seems quite modern with trendy cafes and a modern agora filled with restaurants. I walk along the harbor to watch the sunset as I check out the sculpture garden; it’s a bit too abstract for my tastes. I have a delicious chicken Tikka wrap and walk along the Greek-style monuments. There is a large mosque and a church that I admire from the outside. I stop for some loukamades (greek donuts) that I customize with riccota, honey and cinnamon—a divine combination.

The city is pretty cool and I’m glad I decided to stay the night.

Glacier Walk

Posted on January 26, 2023 by krauss-ingtheworld

I walk back through the woods until dusk, and it is dark as I wander past the cottages and restaurants towards the city center. Zermatt is bustling on a Saturday night, and I have surprisingly good Mexican tacos and a quesadilla for dinner. It is the only reasonably priced food in town too.

I summit the next morning to the base of Matterhorn via cable-car. It is pricey, but it’s my birthday weekend after all, so I zip up the cable car after a long line, with every other car going to VIP customers who are served breakfast along the way.

To be fair the gondola ride is really long, so they deserve some snack breaks, but at every stop the poor workers were so stressed preparing for the next car to serve just in time. It was entertaining to watch with the fit Swiss couple that joined me on the gondola up. I just want to take pictures of the beautiful snow covered mountains and glaciers that come into the view, but I stay to my side of the car, and notice another glacier and valley on the other side of Matterhorn. The couple will hike up to the top, they say.

My view from the gondola. This is the way I hike back down!

I hop off at the next stop and admire the reflection of Matterhorn in a lake. The valley formed by the retreating glacier gives the vibe of a construction site at first. Beautiful glaciers and mountains to either side frame Matterhorn nicely.

Informative signs explain native vegetation and how layers of life come to colonize the soil after a glacier retreats. I try to understand the geology scrapings of rocks. Most goes over my head, but there are nice explanations of different rock colors and formations. There is a different term for everything it seems, but this is probably the best geology science communication I’ve seen!

It is really cool to see the glacier tunnels carved by water flowing through. I would love to just peek inside, but it is too dangerous.

This hike offers the best view so far of Matterhorn and surrounding glaciers. Why did I not notice these glaciers before? At a different angle maybe I can see more of the mountains then when hiking underneath it.

I hike up a little bit higher just to see the surroundings. I see the couple from the gondola returning and ask if the view at the top is worth it–and the girl bluntly says, “no”. The rainclouds begin rolling in so I turn back.

I walk down to Zermatt very slowly, savouring the views of the glaciers. I stop to rest on almost every bench to have a snack and look for marmots and birds.

I walk along the beautiful side valley I saw this morning with the hidden side arm of the glacier and snow-covered face of Matterhorn. I’m glad I accidentally take the longer path down, as it is more gradual and very scenic through meadows and forests.

I cross a dam using hydroelectric power from the glacial flow; it is interesting to see how people have modified the landscape; the whole area is like one big pasture in some places! I leave the forest for more residential areas, nibbling on wild raspberries and appreciating the flowers and insects all the way down.